Big Red Remembered
The recent controversy surrounding Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit and his trainer, Bob Baffert, gave me pause to consider my rather ambivalent attitude toward the sport of horseracing. Baffert has a reputation for living on the edge of the rules when it comes to using illegal drugs in the horses he trains. But that’s another story, and not one I want to discuss other than to say anybody who drugs racehorses should be severely punished.
Years ago I paid a fair amount of attention to horseracing when it was time for the Triple Crown races – the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, and the Belmont Stakes – to be run. Of course owning, training, and riding the same horse that wins all three races in the same year is tantamount to winning the Super Bowl or the World Series. Since Sir Barton was the first horse to win the Triple Crown in 1919, only 12 other horses have claimed that coveted prize in the past 102 years.
I began paying attention the sport in the late 1960s, and at that time the last Triple Crown was Citation in 1938. But then 1973 arrived and
with it came a horse named Secretariat, aka Big Red, all 1200 pounds of him. When he won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, both in record-setting times, people began to talk, and excitement continued to build as the Belmont Stakes drew near.
Just how much interest did Big Red generate before the Belmont Stakes? Well, he made history by appearing on the covers of Time, Newsweek, and Sports Illustrated, a feat that has never been duplicated. He also earned the respect of two noted sports columnists.
Newsweek’s Pete Axthelm wrote: “Secretariat generates a crackling tension and excitement wherever he goes. Even in the kind of gray weather that shrouds lesser animals in anonymity, Secretariat’s muscular build identifies him immediately; his glowing reddish coat is a banner of health rippling power. Magnificent enough at rest … when he accelerates … he produces a breathtaking explosion that leaves novices and hardened horsemen alike convinced that, for one of those moments that seldom occur in any sport, they have witnessed genuine greatness.”
And Larry Merchant of the New York Post had this to say:
“Secretariat is the kind of Big Horse that makes grown men weep, even when they are flint-hearted bettors, even when he goes off at 1-10. He is the apparently unflawed hunk of beauty and beast they search for doggedly in the racing charts every day, and never seemed to find. His supporters rhapsodize over him as though he is a four-legged Nureyev, extolling virtues of his musculature, his grace, his urine specimens. If he were to lose the Belmont, the country may turn sullen and mutinous.”
When the day for the Belmont Stakes finally arrived, I was as nervous as I get when either the Buckeyes or the Packers play. Could that big red horse become the first Triple Crown winner since Citation did it in 1948? The horses were finally loaded in the starting gate, and then legendary horserace announcer Chic Anderson’s voice boomed out through the loudspeakers: “AND THEY’RE OFF!”
I’ve witnessed a lot of sporting events in my day, but none of them is any more memorable than watching that magnificent big red horse completely destroy his competition as he blazed around the 11/2 mile track in a record-setting time of two minutes and 24 seconds to win by 31 lengths. His record still stands today, and I’m really grateful that I was able to witness Secretariat moving as Chic Anderson described him, “…like a tremendous machine…” to win the Belmont Stakes.
Thanks, Big Red!
They Did What?
Liz Cheney has my vote as Woman of the Year wherever they pass out that award. She demonstrated incredible courage last week in refusing to fold under pressure from her (no longer) colleagues in the House of
Representatives. In so doing, she lost her position of leadership in the House, but before she was voted out by her (no longer) colleagues, she delivered a speech during which her (no longer) colleagues reportedly BOOED her.
What did she do to incur the wrath of the bigwigs in the Republican party? She simply expressed her opinion about the almighty Donald Trump, the unquestioned leader of the Republican cult. Despite all the myriad court rulings and investigations pointing to the contrary, the monomaniacal Trump continues to cling steadfastly to the big lie claiming the election was stolen from him. Don’t worry. I’m not going rehash a subject that has been discussed ad nauseam since Biden’s election.
No, I merely want to express my admiration for Cheney, who refused to let the Republicans bully her into submission, and who, on the eve before being voted out of the House, had the courage to say, “Remaining silent and ignoring the lie emboldens the liar. I will not sit back and watch in silence while others…join the former president’s campaign to undermine our democracy.”
Oh yes, and about that booing. Although I think it was rude and tasteless, I think expressing displeasure by booing falls under the protection of free speech. So Cheney’s former colleagues can boo their hearts out, but it won’t deter her for telling what she believes is the truth.
Finally Some Good News
At a media briefing last Thursday, CDC Director Rochelle Walemsky said what we have been waiting for someone to say: Fully vaccinated adults need not wear masks outside or inside unless a particular venue requires them. These include buses, trains, planes, hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, homeless shelters, or businesses that require facial coverings.
At first glance, it may appear that the exceptions are the rules, and the rules are the exceptions, and how can we tell who is and who isn’t fully vaccinated. Obviously some kinks need to be worked out, but for those who have been rigidly adhering to the CDC’s rules for more than a year, this is very good news indeed. Now you can enjoy a Memorial Day celebration with your family sans masks.
The only problem is that people who have not yet been vaccinated, or those who still have one shot remaining will just decide they don’t need to do anything. But this couldn’t be further from the truth. Everyone should get the protection so that we can reach the state of herd immunity so that we all can get rid of the masks forever!
Ponder This:
If Cinderella’s shoe fits perfectly, why did it fall off in the first place?
~Anonymous
